Former President Goodluck Jonathan said, yesterday,
that a four-year tenure was too short for any president to make meaningful
impact on the country.
He also said there was no need for any president to
remain in power for upward of 14 years, since the country was not his private
estate.
Jonathan, who stated these at the constitutional
term limits summit taking place in Niamey, Niger Republic, said the conduct of
elections was too expensive that it could constitute a distraction to
performance.
He made veiled reference to Nigeria, where people
are already discussing 2023 elections, barely months after the 2019 elections.
According to him, this can distract any president with a four-year tenure in
office, especially in the developing world.
He said: “When Professor Wade (Senegal) was in his
last tenure, he changed the constitution and extended the term limits from five
to seven years. ‘’He thought he would win the election. But Macky Sall reduced
it to five years. We must commend dynamic leaders like that. “There is no need
for one person to sit for 14 years, doing what? The country is not your
personal estate.
I agree to that. “Most countries in Africa emulate
America that is a stable country, and take four years as tenure. Such countries include Nigeria, Kenya and
Ghana. “Four years is quite a short period for a country that is developing for
a person who wants to change the country to do much.
‘’In Nigeria, we just finished the election and some
people are already talking about 2023 election. It is distracting. “That is why
some people come with the idea of a single tenure; so a president can sit down
and plan all his programmes for the good of the country.
‘We are too distracted with these elections. Why
must we waste money every four years to elect a leader? Those are the things
that agitate our minds.” The ex-president had, during his tenure, canvassed a
six-year single tenure for Nigeria’s president but he was pilloried by many
stakeholders who argued that his recommendation was an attempt to perpetuate
himself in office.
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